Google Merchant API migration: is your product feed affected?
Google is shutting down the Content API for Shopping on August 18, 2026. If you upload products with a CSV file, a scheduled fetch, or a Google Sheet, you almost certainly don't need to do anything. Here's the plain-English version — and how to check in two minutes.
The short answer
Google is replacing the old Content API for Shopping with the new Merchant API. The change only affects merchants whose product data is sent to Merchant Center programmatically through the Content API. The way most sellers actually upload products — a feed file, a Google Sheet, or a scheduled fetch — is not going away.
No action
You upload products with a CSV / feed file, a Google Sheet, or a scheduled fetch (Google pulls a file from a URL on a schedule). These do not use the Content API, so this deadline doesn't apply to you.
Migrate by Aug 18, 2026
Your store, ERP, or a custom integration pushes products to Merchant Center through the Content API for Shopping. That integration must move to the Merchant API before it's shut down, or your listings will stop updating.
The two dates that matter
- Feb 28, 2026Already passed. The Merchant API's beta (
v1beta) endpoints were retired, so anyone who adopted the new API early had to move to the stablev1version. - Aug 18, 2026The big one. Google plans to shut down the Content API for Shopping entirely. Any integration still sending product data through it will stop working, and those products can eventually drop out of Merchant Center as the data goes stale.
How to check whether you're affected (about 2 minutes)
- Open Google Merchant Center and go to your data sources (where your product sources are listed).
- Look at how each product source is connected. The exact wording varies, but you're looking for the method: a feed file, Google Sheets, scheduled fetch, or an API/Content API connection.
- If a source is connected via the Content API, that one needs to migrate before August 18, 2026.
- If your sources show a feed file, Google Sheets, or a scheduled fetch, you're not affected by this deadline. You're done.
The migration-proof option: feed Merchant Center a file
The simplest way to stay out of API migrations — this one and the next — is to not depend on an API at all. A plain product feed (a CSV you upload or host for scheduled fetch, or a Google Sheet) doesn't use the Content API, so it isn't touched by this change. It's also the easiest setup for most small and mid-size catalogs.
CatalogPort turns a product export from Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon and 10 other platforms into a Google Merchant-ready CSV in one click — free, with nothing uploaded (it runs in your browser). Export your products, convert, and upload the file to Merchant Center as a feed.
Honest note: if you run a very large catalog or need near-real-time price/stock updates, a proper Merchant API integration may still be worth keeping — file feeds refresh on a schedule, not instantly. For most sellers, a scheduled file feed is more than enough and far simpler to maintain.
Common questions
Does this break my Google Shopping ads?
Only if the products behind them are fed through the Content API and that integration isn't migrated before August 18, 2026. Feed-file, Google Sheets, and scheduled-fetch sources keep working as normal.
I use Shopify / WooCommerce — am I affected?
It depends on how your products reach Merchant Center, not which store you run. Many platform and app connectors have already moved to the Merchant API, but some still use the Content API behind the scenes. Check your Merchant Center data source, and if an app or connector handles it, ask the vendor to confirm they're on the Merchant API v1.
Is the Merchant API the same as Merchant Center?
No. Merchant Center is the dashboard where you manage your product data. The Content API for Shopping and its replacement, the Merchant API, are the programmatic ways software talks to Merchant Center. Uploading a feed file or Google Sheet through Merchant Center doesn't touch either API.
This page summarizes a publicly announced Google platform change as of June 2026 and is general information, not official guidance — Google's dates and Merchant Center wording can change, so confirm the current details in your own Merchant Center account and Google's documentation. CatalogPort is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.